A Song About Life and Death

Sermon Summary

The week's message centers on the transformative power of loving God, emphasizing that Psalms 116-117 together teach us how to love as long as we live and how to live as long as He loves. Psalm 116 begins with an individual declaring love for God because of His attentive mercy, which encourages believers to pray persistently as an expression of our faith in God, even in amidst of severe trials. Our individual love for God extends outward, first to the local community and then universally, culminating in Psalm 117’s global call to praise God for His steadfast love and faithfulness. This sermon challenges us to deepen our love for God through prayer, as we trust in His character, and exhorts us to accept the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. 

Sermon Outline:

Point # 1: How can we love as long as we live?

Point # 2: How can we live as long as He loves?

Sermon Text: Psalm 115:1-18

116 I love the Lord, because he has heard
    my voice and my pleas for mercy.
² Because he inclined his ear to me,
    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
³ The snares of death encompassed me;
    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
    I suffered distress and anguish.
⁴ Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

⁵ Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
    our God is merciful.
⁶ The Lord preserves the simple;
    when I was brought low, he saved me.
⁷ Return, O my soul, to your rest;
    for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

⁸ For you have delivered my soul from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling;
⁹ I will walk before the Lord
    in the land of the living.

¹⁰ I believed, even when^[a] I spoke:
    “I am greatly afflicted”;
¹¹ I said in my alarm,
    “All mankind are liars.”

¹² What shall I render to the Lord
    for all his benefits to me?
¹³ I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name of the Lord,
¹⁴ I will pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his saints.
¹⁶ O Lord, I am your servant;
    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
    You have loosed my bonds.
¹⁷ I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
    and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸ I will pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,
¹⁹ in the courts of the house of the Lord,
    in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

117:1 Praise the Lord, all nations!
    Extol him, all peoples!
² For great is his steadfast love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!

Discussion Questions:

1. How do we love God in everything we do, and how does this love transform the way we live?

2. How have you seen love and passion for God in yourself or others inspire transformation?

3. How does Psalm 115’s description of idols contrast with Psalm 116’s portrayal of God, and how does this deepen trust in Him?

4. How can we trust God and find rest in the midst of difficulties, including the fear of death?

5. How does Acts 2 and the resurrection of Jesus give us hope in the face of death?

6. How do Psalm 116:10-11 and Luke 18 reveal the importance of prayer, especially during challenges?

7. What steps can we take to develop consistent, lasting prayer habits?

8. How has increasing prayer helped your love for God grow, and how has it influenced others around you?

9. Do you pray to grow in love for God, and how is your love for Him today?